Just Look At That Girl
by lost-n-stereo
Summary: AU, inspired by the song "Somebody's Baby", Puck watches Rachel walk by his work but can't get up the nerve to talk to her.
1. Chapter 1

It's a chilly morning in March the first time he sees her, bundled up against the cold in a bright purple jacket that would look ridiculous on anyone else.

On her though, it's just about the cutest fucking thing he's ever seen.

He's got three customers waiting for their coffee but he waits until she's out of sight before focusing and putting on a smile for the woman in front of him. Her annoyed expression turns to a slight blush as he asks her (and maybe he says it a little deeper than he needs to) what he can get for her. He's not above putting on the charm so his boss won't rag on his ass for slacking off on the job. He's just glad he's got a steady one, even if it is just pouring coffee in a tiny café.

His morning is busy and he doesn't even have a minute to think about the girl from earlier until he sits down for lunch. He knows he'll never see her again (NYC is a big fucking place) but he thinks about where she might have been going, what she was doing. What she was wearing underneath that hideous jacket. He only got a good look at her face for less than a minute but he can honestly say she's one of the hottest girls he's ever seen.

He knows he's not alone because he didn't miss the way the three old men that have coffee there every morning were watching as she passed too. He can't blame them. She was gorgeous.

He thinks it's a little ridiculous that its five hours later and he's still thinking about some random chick he barely saw for a minute.

This is New York City, where girls like that are a dime a dozen (he's lying, and he knows it) and he isn't hard up in that department anyways. He pulls in at least a number a day working here, usually more, and he's young and hot. He doesn't hurt for it, that's all he's saying.

So he chalks it up to 'never gonna happen' and throws the rest of his lunch in the trash before sending a quick text to his best friend telling him to meet at his place later for beer and pizza. Blaine texts him back asking if he wants him to pick up a DVD on the way and he responds with 'as long as it's not super gay' and he laughs because he knows that Blaine will know he's just fucking with him. He turns his phone back on silent before he ends his break because his boss is a bastard and hates that shit.

Blaine calls him on his next break and tells him just for that he's bringing Maid in Manhattan and Puck tells him to fuck off because no way in hell is that happening. He agrees to the new Transformers (of course he does, those movies kick ass) and Blaine tells him he'll see him in a few hours. Before his friend can hang up, Puck starts laughing.

"Hey, Blaine. Do you know how I know you're gay? You like the movie Maid in Manhattan!" He can practically hear Blaine roll his eyes when he says, "You've been waiting this whole conversation to say that haven't you?" and he just laughs when he hangs up the phone.

He doesn't think about the girl again until he's lying in bed that night, alone, with one hand wrapped around himself and her face in his head.

He's drinking a cup of coffee and bullshitting with Blaine on his lunch break when he stops talking and points out the window. Blaine looks at him confused and then looks to see what he's pointing at.

"Holy shit...that's her!" Blaine just gives him a blank look and Puck rolls his eyes. For someone that claims to be a 'great listener' his friend sure as hell doesn't seem to pay attention when he tells him shit. "The girl, from a couple of weeks ago. I told you about her, remember?"

"Puck, if I tried to remember every single girl you've ever talked to me about, I'd have no room in my brain for useful information." Puck just narrows his eyes but doesn't take them off the girl (wearing a bright orange coat now, who the fuck is this chick) as she walks quickly down the street. Blaine finally takes notice and nods his head in approval.

"She's very pretty." Puck rolls his eyes (and almost has to adjust his jeans) and watches as she rounds the corner and disappears out of his sight.

"Pretty? That girl is a fucking ten." Blaine sits quietly as he takes a sip from his latte and Puck fucking hates that because he knows that move. That's Blaine's "I want to tell you what you should do but I know you're just going to roll your eyes" move and right now he kinda just wants his best friend to tell him what to do. "Jesus, Blaine! Just fucking tell me!" His friend laughs as he sets down his cup and shakes his head.

"Puck, there's nothing you can do. Unless the next time you see her you flag her down and try to talk to her." He says it in a way that lets Puck know that's exactly what he thinks he should do and he rolls his eyes. See how well he knows him.

"I'm not that guy, Blaine. That's like romantic comedy shit, that's not me." Blaine scoffs, crosses his arms and leans back in his chair.

"First of all _Noah, _there is nothing wrong with romantic comedies. Second of all, the chance of you seeing her again is slim to none. This is a big city and the fact that you've seen her twice already is pretty surprising. I'm just saying, if you see her again, I wouldn't let the opportunity pass you by." He doesn't say anything, just checks his watch to see that his lunch hour is over and tells Blaine he's gotta get back to work. Blaine is just about to walk out the door when Puck calls his name.

"Let's be honest though, she's probably got a boyfriend. Girls that hot are never single." Blaine just smiles as he shrugs his shoulders and Puck groans as he lays his head on the counter in front of him.

Puck fucking loves his apartment. He's lived here since he moved to New York two years ago and even though it's a tiny studio, he loves every part of it.

From the exposed brick walls to his surprisingly big kitchen to the oversized HDTV he splurged on last summer. He's got all the sports channels and he always has beer in the fridge so his place is usually the hangout on the weekends for his group of friends.

And what a rag tag team of friends he's got but he loves every one of them.

Blaine is his best friend and he's known the guy since their freshman year of high school when some older kid tried to bully Blaine for being gay. Puck decked the dude in the face and told him never to fuck with Blaine again and from then on they were kinda inseparable. When Puck told him he wanted to move to New York after high school Blaine insisted that he needed to come too so they moved out here together.

They tried being roommates at first but Puck is a slob and Blaine got annoyed so now they just live in the same neighborhood. It works out better for everyone that way.

Santana Lopez and Mike Chang are his other two best friends even though he's only known them since he moved here. He met Santana through Blaine because they worked together and they fucked around for awhile but they were too much alike to actually date. She's the only ex he's ever stayed friends with. Mike is just a cool fucking guy he met at the gym and he's a professional backup dancer in music videos and stuff. Santana can be rude and loud and Mike is chill and quiet and somehow they are all really good friends.

He sends a mass text telling them all to go to his place Friday night and Blaine is already there when he gets off of work. He throws his jacket on the back of the couch and looks around for his friend.

"Honey, I'm home!" He hears Blaine's laugh in the kitchen and he smells something fucking delicious. "What is that smell and why in the hell doesn't my house smell like this always?" Blaine peeks around the corner and grins.

"Lemon pepper chicken, white rice and steamed vegetables." Puck rolls his eyes and throws his keys onto the kitchen table before grabbing a beer and passing one to Blaine.

"What are we, on a date?" Blaine laughs as he takes the beer from Puck.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Puck? You are so not my type." Puck just scoffs and takes a long pull from the bottle.

"Bullshit, I'm everyone's type."

"It's true Anderson. I've literally seen girls fall at this idiot's feet." They turn and see Santana walk in, long legs on display in a tiny pair of denim shorts. He might not be banging her anymore but Puck can still appreciate how fucking hot she is. "Where's my beer?"

Puck laughs and grabs another out of the fridge before looking around her.

"Where the hell is Chang?" Santana just shrugs as she pops the top off her bottle.

"How in the fuck should I know? Do I look like his handler? What smells so fucking good?" Blaine beams at her and Puck laughs because see? Just like him.

Mike comes in twenty minutes later and they sit down to eat Blaine's (fucking amazing) dinner. They are all laughing and talking when Blaine brings up the girl from the street.

"What girl?" He gives Santana a look because that sounded a lot like jealousy but she just rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Blaine answers for him though and leave it to him to make it sound like some romantic fucking story of star crossed lovers or some shit. It takes him almost ten minutes to tell them (which is fucking ridiculous because really, he's only seen the girl twice) and by the end Santana is calling him a pussy and Mike is just watching with an amused look on his face.

"It's not even a thing. I don't know why the fuck we're talking about this chick right now."

"Because you love her," Blaine says in a sing-song voice that makes Puck punch him lightly in the arm.

"Fuck off, all of you." They all laugh when Mike mutters "Hey!" because he's been the only person so far that hasn't busted Puck's balls about this girl.

He kinda (really) wishes he knew her name so he could stop thinking of her as _this girl. _

He sees her pass by the café three more times over the next month.

He feels like a pussy for thinking (again) that maybe he really should go out there and try to talk to her.

Then he thinks he might be afraid to do it and that pisses him off because he's not afraid to talk to girls.

Except for maybe this one.

The day he walks into the café and sees her sitting at a table with a pretty Asian girl he thinks he might be dreaming. He actually rubs his eyes with his palms to make sure he's not seeing things but nope, she's really there.

He is so stunned that he practically runs over an old lady as he makes his way behind the counter. She looks up and gives him a sweet smile when he apologizes so at least he's off the hook for that. He watches her smile and laugh with her friend but he feels like he's eavesdropping when he hears her mention someone named Sam.

Of course she has a boyfriend, just like he told Blaine.

And it's not that boyfriends are really a problem for him, because he's never been the guy to turn down sex with a girl just because she's got a guy waiting for her at home. She just doesn't seem like the kind of girl that would cheat and for some reason he actually likes that. He likes the view up close too because he can see that she's got all of this brown hair that is curled down her back and the sexiest eyes he's ever seen.

She's wearing skinny jeans and a light blue sweater that looks incredible against her olive skin and he can see her name written across her cup when she brings it to her lips. _Rachel. _

At least now he has a name to go with the face.

When she gets up to leave she catches his eye and gives him a shy smile and if this was any other chick he'd smirk and say something to get her to talk to him. He is at a complete loss for words though, and he barely has time to smile back before she and her friend are walking out of the café.

He just had his chance and he fucking blew it. He's such an idiot.


	2. Chapter 2

To say that Blaine is irritated with him the next day is a slight understatement.

"She was there? And you just let her walk out, what is wrong with you?" He sighs and puts his head on the kitchen table on his hands and doesn't watch as Blaine basically paces around the living room.

"I can't believe I fucking choked. I never get nervous around girls, if anything, they get nervous around me." Blaine rolls his eyes but he doesn't argue the fact because it's (mostly) true. Puck has a way with women, he always has. Something about this girl though…he thinks he's losing his touch. When he tells that to Blaine his friend just shakes his head and sits down.

"You're intimidated by her. She's totally out of your league and you think that you don't have a chance so you don't even want to try." Puck raises an eyebrow.

"She's outta my league?" Blaine just smiles and nods which pisses him off. "I've been banging hot chicks since I was fifteen. No girl is out of my league."

"Then why won't you talk to her?" He has no answer so he just ignores the question and changes the subject.

"So how'd your date go last night?" It's enough to make Blaine forget about Puck's love life (or lack thereof, where she's concerned) and they talk about his date with some new guy named Kurt. He sounds like an okay guy and Puck tells Blaine that he should bring him around sometime. Blaine blushes and says he's not sure he wants to share his friends with him yet and Puck knows it's because between him and Santana they would probably scare the poor guy away.

Blaine tells Puck he'll bring Kurt around if Puck talks to Rachel (it's weird, knowing her name without knowing her) if she comes in the café again. Puck agrees only because he thinks the chances of her coming back in are nonexistent anyways.

It takes two weeks before he sees her again but this time she glances in the direction of the café as she walks by and he swears he can see a little smile on her face from across the street.

He's in the back taking inventory a week later (all of the employees switch off on doing it because it fucking sucks and he hates it) and he can hear almost everything coming from the front of the café. He's only half listening when he hears his coworker Molly yell out the next order.

"Order for Rachel."

He definitely heard that and he practically knocks over a tall stack of cups when he hauls ass towards the main lobby. He sees her sitting at a table alone with her headphones in with a table full of paperwork and he knows that if he doesn't take his chance now he's going to seriously regret it. Not to mention how much shit he'd get from his friends for not making a move. Molly gives him a look when he grabs the cup and he just shrugs and carries it over to her table.

She doesn't notice him at first but when she does she lets out a little giggle and pulls the headphones out of her ears. She gives him a smile when he hands her the coffee and he tries to get his shit together before he makes himself look like a total tool.

"Hi, thank you for bringing this over. Sometimes when I listen to music I get lost in my own little world." He smiles because he's the same way and he tells her it's not a problem. She smiles at him again and looks back at the papers spread out on the table and it's then that he notices that it's sheet music. He writes and plays guitar and he's stoked because he actually has a reason to start up a conversation with her now.

"Do you write?" She looks up at him surprised and she seems confused until he nods towards the papers. She gives out a giggle and shakes her head.

"Oh, no. I'm a performer. I'm trying to memorize some new songs for an audition I have next week."

"A performer, like on Broadway?" She beams up at him like he's just said the magic words and she nods quickly.

"Well, Broadway is the dream anyways. My name is Rachel, by the way." She holds out her hand and he smiles as he shakes it.

"I'm Puck." She laughs a bit (god, he likes her laugh) and starts gathering her sheet music before standing up.

"Well, Puck, it was very nice to meet you. I have to run but maybe next time I'm in here you can tell me where you got that nickname." He doesn't know what to say so he just nods and she smiles before heading to the door. She turns back to the window when she's out on the street and gives him a little wave.

He knows that she was flirting with him, but he's still not sure on the boyfriend situation and he doesn't know why he cares but he does. He only spent five minutes talking to her and he already wants to know everything about her.

He's so fucked.

"And then what happened?"

He rolls his eyes as he grabs another egg roll and he takes a big bite so he doesn't have to answer any more of Blaine's questions. Unfortunately for him his friend has the patience of a hundred nuns and he's still looking at him when he swallows his bite.

"Jesus, Blaine! You're worse than a chick!" Blaine just motions for him to continue and Puck sighs. "Nothing else happened. We only talked for a minute before she had to go."

"But she said that she would be coming back, right?" Puck shrugs and takes a pull from his beer.

"She said 'maybe next time I'm here', so I guess." Blaine sighs happily and leans back against Puck's couch.

"This is all very romantic, you know that right?" Puck groans and throws a fortune cookie at his friend, who just catches it and laughs. "It's not a bad thing, Puck. You're not a kid anymore. It's okay to want to like a girl for more than just sex."

"Dude, you know that's not how I roll." Blaine gives him a look that lets him know he's being a jackass and he knows he is too so he doesn't say anything. He grabs a fortune cookie for himself and pops half into his mouth while he reads the slip of paper inside.

He practically chokes when he sees what's written on it. He shows it to Blaine who immediately laughs out loud as he reads it out loud.

"Now is the time to go ahead and pursue that love interest!" Puck rolls his eyes as Blaine jumps up and sticks it to the fridge with one of Puck's magnets. "I told you, its fate!"

He doesn't know anything about fate. He does know if she comes in again he's going to just bite the bullet and ask her out.

Of course, his life is never that easy because the next time she comes into the café she's with some blonde guy with a big mouth (literally, this guy's mouth is huge) and she's laughing loudly at something he's saying.

"Good morning, Puck!" He can't help but grin back at her when she smiles widely at him when they reach the counter. The guy she's with puts his hand on the small of her back (bastard) and slips a twenty into her hand before turning around to find a table.

"What can I get ya?" She leans on the counter and looks up at the menu and it takes everything in his power not to sneak a peek down the front of her loose silk top. She looks like a little kid ordering from an ice cream truck and she giggles when he tells her that.

"I can't help it, everything here looks so good." She blushes after she says it and he tries to hide the smirk that is dying to come out. He doesn't know if she's meaning to flirt but she definitely is and he likes it.

She finally decides and hands him the money and he tells her they'll be ready in a few. She tells him she'll 'see him soon' and giggles as she walks away and he thinks she's just about the cutest fucking thing he's ever seen.

They don't stay long, and he didn't see any touching or kissing the entire time they were there so he thinks the guy is either an idiot for not wanting to touch his hot girlfriend all the time or he's not her boyfriend at all. Or maybe she's just not the PDA type and not really down with getting down (you know what he means) in public.

He winks at her when she waves goodbye and he thinks for a minute that she might have been blushing again.

He agrees to go to karaoke with Blaine because they both sang in their high school glee club and sometimes it's fun to relive the past.

They meet up with Santana and Mike, and Santana tells them that her new boyfriend should be showing up any minute. Puck's a little surprised because the last he heard she was only dating girls again but she's always changing her mind on what's currently turning her on. Apparently right now it's tall ass fucking guys because that's who walks into the bar and she introduces him as Finn. He's a teacher and like a million feet tall and he laughs when Puck and Mike give him a hard time about it.

Blaine convinces them all to get on the tiny stage and sing with him and they end up belting out "Hot Blooded" before taking bows and laughing hard as they walk back to their table. It only takes two more drinks before Puck is signing up for his own song and it's no secret to any of his friends that he likes to perform. He grabs the stool that he's sitting on and drags it on the stage and grabs the mic off the stand.

He's halfway through a Keith Urban song when he happens to glance at the door only to see Rachel walk in with the Asian girl he saw her having coffee with before. He practically drops his mic and Blaine gives him a weird look but then follows his gaze and sees her too. Blaine looks back at him with wide eyes and then he sees him poking Santana in the side and then pointing (real fucking discrete, Blaine) towards her. He finishes his song and when he glances up as the crowd is clapping he sees her standing with a smile on her face as she claps along.

He stops by his table to get his beer and everyone is immediately on his ass about her being there. Well, everyone but Finn because he's still new and doesn't know what the hell is going on. He's kind of Puck's favorite person at this table right now because he's the only one not telling him to grow a sack and go talk to her. He's about to do just that when Blaine's eyes get big and he feels a tap on his shoulder.

"Hi, Puck. Remember me, Rachel from the coffee shop?" He turns around and chuckles because honestly, who could forget her? Instead of saying that, and sounding like a total jackass in the process, he just smiles and nods. "This is my friend, Tina." Tina smiles and gives the table a shy wave.

"Would you like to join us?" He could kill (or kiss) Santana right now because he hasn't even had a chance to really talk to Rachel yet and now she's basically being thrown to the wolves. That's a little harsh, but Santana can be really bitchy to girls and he doesn't want to break up any girl friends tonight. Even though that would be kinda hot but he's getting off subject.

He's surprised when Rachel and Tina pull up two stools and pull them up to the table, Tina is close to Mike (who looks pretty happy about that) and Rachel is between him and Blaine.

"You were really good up there." She looks at him and smiles and he thinks it's fucking ridiculous how nervous he is right now.

"Thanks. Are you gonna sing?" She shrugs and takes a drink and he finds it really difficult not to stare when she's got her lips wrapped around her straw. "You said you're a performer right? Why don't you show us what you got?" She grins and stands up and Tina rolls her eyes and tells him that he's done it now. He doesn't really care though because she looks amazing under the lights and when she starts to sing it's like the entire place goes quiet.

She sings a song he's never heard by some Broadway actress he's never heard of but she fucking kills it and she actually blushes when everyone in the bar stands up and cheers when she's finished. His friends hoot and holler and she grins when she comes back to the table and takes another sip from her glass.

"Wow…you are like…so fucking good." She blushes again and he really digs that he has that effect on her. She just says thank you quietly and he smiles to himself as he takes a drink of his beer. Blaine starts talking to her about musicals and Puck starts to zone out before noticing that Mike and Tina are missing from the table.

"Um, Rachel? Where did your friend go?" Blaine gives him a look like he's being rude for interrupting but seriously, fuck him. He's been dying to talk to Rachel since he first saw her and his best friend is completely monopolizing her time. Rachel looks around before pointing to a corner and laughing. Puck follows her gaze and sees Mike pressing Tina against a wall and talking in her ear. The look on Tina's face tells him she's probably going home with him and when he tells Rachel that she doesn't seem surprised.

"Guess I'll be getting a cab back to my apartment alone." She doesn't sound pissed though and Puck likes that because Mike is his boy and he knows he's hasn't gotten laid in months. The guy needs it, that's all he's saying. Puck doesn't really like the sound of her taking a cab in the middle of the night by herself so he tells her he'll ride with her. She gives him a sweet smile and places her hand on his arm.

"That's very sweet of you Puck." He just shrugs because fuck you he's not going to blush right now and her hand feels like it's setting his arm on fire. She giggles again and he raises an eyebrow as he looks at her. "I'm just curious as to why your nickname is Puck. It's very unusual."

"Puck is short for my last name, Puckerman." She nods and looks at him expectantly. He knows what she wants to know and he doesn't usually tell people his first name but it feels different with her. "Noah. Noah Puckerman." She grins and licks her lips (fuck) before taking another sip.

"Noah…I like it."

He likes it too when it's being said in her gorgeous voice.

When the bar is closing and she's ready to leave she asks him if he'd still like to share a cab with her. Apparently her apartment is on the way to his so he can see her home without being too far out of his way.

They hail a cab outside the bar and wave to his friends who are all paired up now except for Blaine who just tells him to be careful and that he'll call him tomorrow. Santana yells out, "Don't forget the condom!" and doesn't really specify if she's talking to Mike or Puck. Probably both.

Rachel giggles when they are on their way and he just watches her because she's fucking adorable.

"What?" She doesn't say anything, just sinks deeper into her seat and shakes her head. "Seriously, what?" He's laughing with her now and he still has no idea what they are laughing about.

"I just really like your friends, especially Santana. She's a spitfire, isn't she?" He rolls his eyes and laughs. He's called Santana many things, but that's not one of them.

"I guess you could say that." They are quiet for a minute and Puck is just drunk enough that he's feeling a little bold so he asks the question that he's been dying to know all night. "So, where was your boyfriend tonight?" She looks up at him surprised but she doesn't seem offended.

"I don't have a boyfriend."

Oh.

"Oh. I just thought that guy you came in with last week was your boyfriend or something." She laughs and shakes her head.

"Sam? Definitely not, we are just friends. We went to high school together; he was visiting for the week. He flew home yesterday." Well that's definitely good to know. Things get quiet again and Puck wants to ask her out and he knows that he won't have many more chances. Fuck it.

"So, since you're single then…do you want to go grab dinner or something next week?" He hates how fucking unsure of himself he sounds. He's never been as nervous waiting for a girl's answer before.

They are just pulling up to her apartment building and she nods before pulling her purse onto her lap. She fishes around (Puck will never understand how women keep so much shit in their purses) and pulls out a slip of paper and a pen. She quickly scribbles something down and puts it in his hand before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He can still feel her soft lips on his skin after she's pulled away.

"I'd love to, Noah." She waves goodbye after she gets to her door and he smiles as he waves back.

It's not until he's few blocks from his place that he looks down to see her number written on a tiny slip of paper. When he flips it over he can only laugh as he reads the fortune out loud to himself.

"You are almost there." The cab driver gives him a weird look in the rearview but Puck ignores it when he thinks about what this must have meant for her when she got it.

She's working towards Broadway and he's working to get to know her.

Damn right, they are almost there.


	3. Chapter 3

He's never really been the guy that sits and plans out a first date. Hell, if he's being honest he doesn't even go on a lot of first dates.

That's exactly what he's doing now though, with his laptop open on his lap as he struggles to come up with the perfect date to take this girl on.

He weeds out all of the obvious choices because he's not a picnic in the park kind of guy and he's pretty sure she's not going to want a loud nightclub or some ritzy restaurant. He's better than needing something flashy to impress her; he just wants to make sure she has an awesome time.

He stumbles across something he thinks might be perfect and it's in Central Park but it doesn't sound touristy or anything like that. It's low key but sounds fun and he thinks that Rachel will like it. He calls Blaine and runs it by him and his friend agrees that it sounds like a kick ass first date.

Well, what he really says it "That sounds lovely" but close enough.

Their date is Friday night and it's only Tuesday and Puck feels like this is the longest week in the history of mankind.

By the time Thursday rolls around he's had almost an entire week to think of all of the ways he's probably going to fuck up this date.

And he doesn't want to because he actually digs Rachel and they have talked a few times since last weekend and he really does like talking to her. She's funny as hell and super sweet and he just wants her so fucking bad.

He's got a house full of people and the game is on but all he can do is think about their date and whether or not she's going to like it.

"What should I wear?" He doesn't realize he's said it out loud until everyone in the room turns to him.

"I just bought a new dress you can borrow if you want." He scowls at Santana while everyone laughs except Blaine, who's just got this little smile on his face.

"Fuck off, Santana." She raises her hands in defense but just laughs again as she leans back into Finn's arm. He starts to say something else but then Blaine grabs his arm and practically pulls him into his room. "Okay, what the fuck?"

"You need help finding something to wear. You have a gay best friend; this is what I'm here for." Puck sighs as he leans back on his bed but he's secretly glad that Blaine is going to help him. So sue him, the guy has style. "God, Puck. Do you own anything that isn't plaid?" He rolls his eyes as he head falls back on his pillow.

"I don't get it. Why am I so nervous? I've been on a ton of dates." Blaine pokes his head out of the closet (there's a joke in there somewhere that would probably be offensive or some shit) and looks at Puck like he's a moron. "What?"

"This is your first real date, Puck. You've never actually liked a girl until now."

"Thanks a lot, Blaine! What a dick!" He laughs when Santana walks into the room then and grins at him as she sits on the bed. He knows that she knows what Blaine means. Yeah they dated, but it was mostly sex and not a whole lot of actual "dating". She turns to Puck when Blaine laughs and goes back to Puck's closet. She turns to Puck and punches him in the thigh. He shoots her a dirty look that she just ignores. "Seriously, when did you grow a vagina? I have never seen you act like this."

He rolls his eyes but he knows she's right. Not about the vagina thing obviously, she can fuck off with that shit.

"Jesus, San. Would it kill you to just be my friend for five minutes instead of a total bitch?" She gives him a look that he can't really read but then shrugs and gives him a smile.

"You really like this girl." She doesn't ask, because she knows the answer and he just nods. "Well then, tell me about this date. Where are you taking her? It better not suck, she seems like one of those classy broads." He just laughs and tells her and it makes her grin so he must be on the right track.

Blaine pops his head in every few minutes asking for their opinions and gets varied responses from them.

"Dude, I haven't worn that since the 9th grade."

"That is the ugliest fucking shirt I've ever seen. God, Puck. Do you own anything other than plaid?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Blaine finally pulls out something that he deems appropriate and it doesn't make Puck want to punch him and Santana tells him he'll look hot in it so that's what he decides to wear.

"Can we please stop being girls now and watch the fucking game?"

It's Santana that says it and the guys both laugh as the follow her back into the living room.

He takes Friday off because he doesn't want to be in a bad mood during his date from working a shitty shift all day. He goes for a jog in the morning which is something he used to love to do but he barely has time since he works so damn early in the mornings.

He goes to lunch with Blaine and he can't help it if he keeps checking his watch. Of course Blaine catches it and calls him on it.

"God, she's making me crazy!" Blaine raises an eyebrow and Puck sighs. "I've never wanted someone this bad. I feel like a fifteen year old girl, it's fucking ridiculous." Blaine just smiles like he's an idiot. He's been doing that a lot lately.

"You like her, Puck. I have been trying to tell you this since you first saw her. There is something there, something that you haven't experienced before. Don't stress about it, just go with it."

He thinks about that for a minute, nods and drops the subject.

They finish their lunch without talking about her again and by the time Puck gets back to his apartment he's not nervous anymore.

He's gonna rock the shit out of this date.

He grabs all the stuff they are going to need for their date and throws it into a small bag before setting it by the door.

He pulls on his nicest pair of jeans, a white tee shirt and a dark blue button down (not plaid, thank you very much) before quickly brushing his teeth and putting on a little cologne. He calls a cab before texting Rachel to tell her he's on his way.

She's been asking all week what they are doing but he's managed not to give her any hints at all.

His hands are sweaty (god, he's a loser) when the cab pulls onto her street and she's just closing the door when it stops in front of her building. She's wearing a white and yellow dress with wide straps and he doesn't think it would look sexy on anyone else but her. On her it looks fucking phenomenal and it's the first thing he tells her when he gets out to open her door. She blushes as she says thank you and gets into the cab first.

He slides in next to her and she's got an amused look on her face when he tells the cab driver to take them to Central Park. She motions to the bag on the floor.

"Picnic in the park?" She's giggling when she says it and he can only think of how fucking cute she is.

"Do I look like a picnic in the park kinda guy?" She laughs softly and shakes her head. "Good."

The ride doesn't take long and he grabs the bag before she can and opens the door. She gets out as he's paying the driver and he grins at her as he slings the bag over his shoulder.

"So what are we doing?" He just smirks but it quickly turns into a smile when she reaches for his hand. He's not usually the hand holding type but with her it doesn't feel weird. It actually feels really nice.

"Come on."

Rachel's face lights up when she sees the huge tent and the stage and the masses of people spread out on the lawn.

"What do you think?" She's still smiling as he pulls out the blanket he brought and lays it out on a stretch of empty grass.

"This is incredible, I love outdoor concerts. How did you know?" He just shrugs and she bumps her shoulder playfully with his as she sits down next to him. He laughs as he pulls out snacks (mostly veggies because she told him she's a vegetarian and he pays attention to stuff like that) and two waters. "I thought you said you weren't a picnic in the park guy?"

"I'm not. This isn't a picnic. It's just some food and drinks on a blanket in Central Park." She holds onto his arm as she laughs and he puts it around her when the first band starts to play. She actually knows the second band that comes on and he likes that she sings along with the songs she knows. She's tucked into his arm and he can't help it when he kisses her hair at her temple.

She looks at him then and he knows what's going to happen next but he's still kind of surprised when she makes the first move and presses her lips gently on his. He doesn't really deepen the kiss, just puts a hand in her hair as he moves his lips along hers. She feels perfect there, like this, and he would feel like a pussy for thinking it but it's just so fucking good.

He thinks he might be smiling too much when he drops her off and she gives him another kiss goodnight. It's extremely tame compared to all of his other dates but it's by far the best he's ever had.

He really hopes that she's as into him as he is into her.

They text back and forth over the next few days and he still doesn't know everything about her but he knows he'll get his chance to learn it all soon enough.

She texts him and asks him when he's working next and when he tells her Monday she just says okay and then starts telling him about a new show she's auditioning for.

She comes in alone on Monday and he decides it's a pretty good time to take his lunch.

They go to a tiny deli around the corner and she holds his hand on the table as she talks about her life and asks about his. She tells him all about her two dads and how she moved to the city when she was eleven. He tells her about his mom and his sister and about all of his friends.

"I have a little confession to make." He raises an eyebrow as he takes another bite out of his (insanely delicious) roast beef sandwich.

"Oh yeah?" She nods. "What's that?" She looks down shyly before answering and he can't wait to hear what she has to say.

"The first day that I came in the café, when I was with Tina, I wanted to talk to you so bad." He nearly chokes on his roast beef and she laughs. "What? Is that hard to believe?"

"You just have no idea how bad I wish you would have. We could have started this whole thing months ago." She smiles as she looks down at their hands.

"Some things are worth the wait though, aren't they?" He's not nervous at all when he leans over the table and kisses her softly.

"You are."

She blushes and she looks so fucking pretty that he has to tell her and she just blushes more when he does.

He's not surprised at how well she fits into his group of friends. What does surprise him is how well she gets along with Santana but he doesn't hate it because he really hopes she's going to be around for awhile.

Mike starts seeing Tina, Santana's got Finn and Blaine has officially named Kurt as his boyfriend. It's kind of nice not being the single guy of the group anymore.

He's wiping the counter down one morning when a bright flash of pink outside catches his eye.

He knows it's her before he even glances up and he grins when he sees her walking down the street outside of the café. He likes that he now knows that she's headed to a dance class two blocks away and that they have plans for dinner after that.

She looks through the window and he knows she's looking for him. When she spots him she smiles widely and blows him a kiss.

He grins like an idiot for the next two hours and when she walks into the café looking gorgeous as always he thinks it's not going to take long before he's completely in love with this girl.

He thinks he's been well on his way to that for awhile now.


End file.
